The addition of bike lanes along Waverly and Comstock avenues could be beneficial for Syracuse University students, but the city of Syracuse needs to address the safety concerns that could arise from the bike lanes’ current state.

Syracuse announced on Oct. 14 that it would be temporarily reducing Comstock and Waverly to two driving lanes early this week in order to make changes that would increase parking space and pedestrian and cyclist safety.

Though this is a city project, this is an area heavily trafficked by students. The bike lane now in place only has striping, and needs to be better distinguished from the road to improve student safety.

Until recently, the areas surrounding SU have not had the infrastructure for street biking. Because of this, students and locals may not be accustomed to sharing the road with bikers. For this reason, the city of Syracuse should take extra precautions to ensure the bike lanes are clearly marked and will not be encroached upon by drivers.

The bike lane on University Avenue is an excellent example of how cycling lanes should be discernible from traffic lanes. It is separated by a median and painted green. It would likely not be possible for the city to place dividers on Waverly and Comstock. But if it had not planned on doing so already, it should paint the bike lanes green or with reflective paint to help make the lane more visible among traffic and at night.

The city of Syracuse should communicate with the university to figure out the best way to guarantee student and driver safety. A visible bike lane is an important aspect in that. Drivers, SU or non-SU affiliated, should not have to struggle with noticing the difference between a road and a bike lane.

The city of Syracuse is ultimately in control of what it does with the bike lanes, but it should better mark the bike lanes compared to traffic. This city project has potential to benefit SU students, but moving forward, it should better take into account the safety of students.